Nursing Homes|Nursing Home Abuse|Assisted Living Facilities

Nursing has long been regarded as a noble and quite critical roles for working professionals. Nurses have been held in high regard for many years now, and their role in the world of health care is one that is indispensable. If a career in nursing seems like a great fit for you, or if you are seeking a career opportunity that offers competitive wages and a position that is always in demand, training as a licensed vocational nurse can be an excellent choice.

LVNs Perform Many Jobs
If you decide to attend a LVN college to receive your license, you will find that the career choices available to you are surprisingly diverse. LVNs are employed in a wide range of facilities, including hospitals, nursing homes, corrections and mental health facilities, and much more. Duties range from various aspects of patient care, such as managing records and taking vital signs, to communicating with doctors and nurses in order to ensure that the best level of patient care is being provided. A role as an LVN is a critical one in many different healthcare settings, and it provides the path for an excellent career with ample room for advancement or further education and licensing.

Today's LVNs Are as Diverse as the Roles they Fill
A look at recent facts and figures regarding LVN professionals shows that they are as diverse in makeup as the roles that they fill. Today's LVN positions are filled almost evenly between age groups as well as ethnic groups, and data shows that today's graduation rates are almost evenly split between adult education and nonprofit programs and private or for-profit schools and programs. Acute care facilities do provide the largest employment group, followed by nursing facilities, but home health agencies, professional employment services, and other settings do employ a large number of California LVNs*.

A Vital Role in a Modern World
No matter what improvements and advancements are made in the field of healthcare technology, the need for nursing professionals will always be tremendous. LVNs provide a crucial role in the health care industry, and the job is one that is essential to proper patient care. Seeking employment in a career that is both financially profitable and emotionally fulfilling is critical to long-term job satisfaction for most individuals, and when selecting an LVN program, CA students will find accelerated choices make it easy to get started on a fantastic career track and to financial independence sooner than later.

*According to California Healthcare Foundation data, LVNs show great diversity in terms of age and ethnicity, as well as education choices, while job roles are most common in acute care and nursing facility settings. (Source: www.chcf.org, 11/2010).

For the past fifty years, towns and cities in the state of New Hampshire have worked to impose zoning restrictions on lands within their borders, in large part to protect against overdevelopment. Some towns require building lots of anywhere from a half-acre to five acres for a detached single-family home. Unfortunately, an unintended consequence of this regulation has been that real estate developers have subdivided large parcels of land into smaller plots and leveled forested areas, filled in swamps, and generally degraded the ecosystem of the property in favor of rows of houses, all with their own little front and back yards.

Cluster housing, which is beginning to be considered in New Hampshire, uses a different approach. If a town requires that a particular piece of land have a two-acre minimum for building sites, a traditional developer would subdivide the land into ten units and build a home on each unit. A cluster development, however, involves concentrating those same ten houses in a single area on perhaps four acres of the land, leaving 16 acres relatively undeveloped, thus preserving natural wildlife habitats and forested areas that can be enjoyed by the residents.

The Nubanusit Neighborhood and Farm, a new housing development project in Peterborough, New Hampshire, takes the cluster housing concept one step further. Twenty-nine small single-family homes will be augmented by shared areas on the 113-acre site, which will also include a small working organic farm. The shared facilities offer places where the community's residents can interact. This co-housing concept, which originated in Denmark, offers community support while utilizing the land in an environmentally sustainable way.

The Peterborough project is a great idea, one that will hopefully spread throughout the state. The down side is that the housing units are expensive; according to a June 19, 2006, article in the Keene Sentinel, prices start at $278,000 for an 849-square-foot home and extend to $580,000 for a 1334-square-foot home - very reasonable considering the amenities, but far beyond the reach of many working-class families.

Perhaps as the Nubanusit project succeeds other communities will learn from it and take the cluster and cooperative housing concepts into account when developing new residential projects. Combining low- and middle-income housing, both for families and single people, with elder and assisted living facilities makes sense, for instance, providing a community atmosphere for those who often find themselves isolated because of financial, age-, or health-related circumstances. Ownership of single-family homes could be augmented with small rental units or even a cluster of low-cost single-occupancy rooms with common cooking and living facilities, with the rent going to pay the expenses of the rental units themselves and possibly helping pay general expenses for the community.

Cluster and cooperative housing can potentially offer solutions to a lot of problems. Thoughtful cluster housing development may actually allow New Hampshire to sustain its recent growth while meeting the needs of all its citizens and preserving the natural environment that draws people to the state in the first place.

Finding a nursing home for your parents may be one of the most challenging tasks you ever face. You want to make sure your parents receive the best care, and will be happy in their new living arrangement. By taking some important things into account, you can find the best option for everyone involved.

When it becomes clear that a parent can't take care of him or herself anymore, they may need assistance with even the most mundane daily activities. At first, you may feel you want to care for your mom or dad yourself. This may work for a while, but taking care of another person can be a full-time job, especially if that person has any medical conditions. It can quickly become too much for you to do on your own.

If this is the case, it may be time to look for a nursing home for your parent. Consider consulting with a professional geriatric care manager. They'll help you evaluate your situation, and will get you on the right track to finding the best care for your mom or dad. By finding a nursing home, you're not only expanding the care options for them, you're also freeing yourself up to care for your own family to the best of your ability, which is what your parents would want for you.

If a professional geriatric care manager is not available in your area to help you, there are specific things to evaluate that will help you decide whether your parent would benefit from moving into a nursing home. What is their mobility like? Can they get around on their own, without assistance? What about meals? Can your mom or dad prepare their own meals? Can they manage their own medications? The answers to these and other questions of basic senior care needs will tell you whether your mom or dad can continue to live on their own, or if they would benefit from the full-time care they would get in a nursing home.

When choosing a nursing home, be sure to visit several. Take tours of the facilities, and ask questions about the kind of care residents receive. Make sure they're able and willing to handle any special needs your parent may have. Find out how many doctors, nurses, and volunteers are available at any given time. Is it enough to handle the number of residents in the home? Also ask whether the facility performs background checks on its employees. Talk to residents and their family members, and ask if they're properly cared for. Listening to their impressions of the facility is one of the best ways to get acquainted with the true nature of the place.

After you've moved your parent into a nursing home, they'll still need your support. Call them frequently, and visit as often as possible. You can make their space feel more like home by adding personal touches. Bring their sheets and pillows from home, and put framed family photos around the room.

At the same time that you want to find the best care available for your mom or dad, you may also feel some guilt at sending them to live in a home rather than caring for them yourself.

Clients frequently tell us they trusted the nursing home or assisted living facility to take care of their loved one. We also hear clients say they assumed their regular visits to the nursing home or assisted living facility would encourage staff to provide better care for their family member. Well, that may be true but your presence in the room or down the hall is not enough.

Frustrated family members concerned about the level of care their loved one is receiving call often. Most of the time, their complaints cannot and should not be addressed by filing a lawsuit - so we provide more general advice. That advice is as follows:

Be Organized:

Keep a diary or a log of every visit to the nursing home or assisted living facility and include the following information:

• Date / time of visit.
  


• Location - where your loved one was upon arrival.
  


• Complaints - stained clothes, sheets, food problems, no water? Write the complaints down.
  


• Notify staff - make a written and verbal complaint to the charge nurse. Write down her name, and what she said would be done about the problem.
  


• Follow up - next time you are there and ask the nurse what has been done. Ask to see the chart where the corrected action should have been documented.

Document Your Complaints:

If the problem continues take photographs; send a letter to the nursing home administrator requesting a conference. Ask that staff receive further training. Ask to see the facility's policies and procedures (you have this right under the Virginia Administrative Code) and compare what the staff is doing with what is required by the facility's policies and procedures.

Complain to State/Local Authorities:

If the problems get worse, or a single accident causes harm, call your local Department of Social Services (each County has one) and ask to speak to Adult Protective Services. File a complaint. You may call the Virginia Department of Health (1-800-955-1919) and file a complaint with them as well.

How to Work with Attending Physicians:

Many attending physicians also serve as Medical Directors to the facility. They are only obligated to review a resident's chart and or examine them, pursuant to Medicare requirements, and when a change in condition occurs. Ask to speak to the attending physician after each visit to determine whether there has been a change in condition. If it is a routine visit, contact the physician to find out what was examined. If medications are changed, ask why? Be curious, and write down the answers you receive. We have discovered in our cases where some nurses actually will draft the physician's orders and then call the physician after the fact, just to get their "ok".

What to do if a Fall Occurs:

If a fall occurs immediately go the facility. Ask for the name of individual who found your loved one. Where was the fall? What was he wearing? Was there medical equipment involved? Write all of this down. Who examined your family member to assess their status after the fall? Who determined that no injury occurred? Did a roommate witness the fall?

Follow up with the charge nurse - ask what is being done to prevent another fall. Ask to attend the Fall Committee's next conference when your family member is being discussed.

Also, consider the context of the fall - what time of day? Where were they going? Had they asked for help? Do they have the ability to ask for help? Is your family member taking any new medications which may cause dizziness?

What if Your Resident Stops Eating:

We hear staff say all the time - "we tried to get her to eat, but she refused." Is that true? What is the facility policy? I am certain the policy doesn't say, "if resident refuses to eat discontinue attempts." It likely requires staff to provide an alternative or supplement until the resident gets needed calories. Malnutrition can lead to the development of decubitus ulcers and prevents existing decubitus ulcers from healing.

Review the chart. Can your loved one see to eat? Can he or she feed themself? What about the food - will he eat what you bring? If so - tell the nurse and ask them to chart it. Patient refusal is a big excuse given by facilities when problems occur.

Discuss supplements, intravenous nutrition, energy bars - there are ways to get needed calories in. Is the physician aware? Make him aware.

Conclusion:

There are too many possible problems in a nursing home setting to anticipate or touch on here. However, it is important to be a diligent family member who takes notes and knows about the care provided, including who is providing the care. Also, VISIT, VISIT OFTEN - bring other family, ministers, anyone who will go. A supportive family can mean the difference between good care and poor care.

Everyone will always prefer the comfort and security of home during illness or when recovering from illness. Research has shown that a person who is ill recovers better and faster in the home.

About Home Care

Health care that is given in the home of a patient or elderly is called home care. This can be made by a family member or by someone hired to do the task. The purpose is the promotion, maintenance and the return of the patient's health. Services include medical care and other home chores like cooking, cleaning, laundering, visits to the doctor and other activities wherein the elderly needs assistance. The service may be for short periods like assistance to hospital checkups or vital signs monitoring. This can also be on a regular daily basis especially if the patient cannot do activities or chores.

Benefits

The purpose of senior home care is for the elderly to live with ease and comfort. Other benefits are:

• Home care is made in a familiar environment lessening the anxiety and stress on the patient.
• If family members take turns to care of the patient, it solidifies family bonds.
• It assists to keep the elderly independent and continue their role as members of society.
• It is a better option than institutionalization of the senior in a nursing home.
• Hastens the healing process as most patients recover more quickly at home.
• Seniors are given maximum amount of freedom which is not offered in a nursing home or hospital.
• It provides personalized care which is tailored to the needs of each individual. It is delivered on a one- to-one basis.
• It is a more cost effective option than a nursing home.
• This is provided by experienced people who have compassion for the elderly.
• It is a life-extender for the seniors as studies showed that people receiving home care tend to live longer and have a better quality of life.
• Even for those who are terminally ill, home care is highly recommended.

Most of our elderly loved ones would like to stay in the comfort of their homes and providing them with adequate assistance is the best way to make them comfortable.

With the mentioned benefits, senior home care should be preferred for your elderly loved one compared with other services.

Finding a good, qualified caregiver is important, and we were very fortunate to find the woman who is helping us with our elder. Having spent some time doing elder care as a teenager, I had an idea of what might be important. Here are some of the questions we asked.

1) What training have you had? Most agencies look for caregivers with at least some training, and they continue training during the course of employment. Look for someone who is a nurse's aide or a certified nursing assistant. Higher skill levels are also available, but tend to be more expensive.

2) How many years of experience? I'm not against someone fresh out of school, but I am very happy that our elder's caregiver has been in this field a long time. If this is the caregiver's first job, ask if he or she was an intern prior to leaving school. This experience is very valuable.

3) What do you know about fall prevention? A caregiver should know how to walk with a patient in order to prevent falls. He or she should also be able to look around the house and point out areas that could be tripping hazards. Falls in the elderly can be devastating.

4) Have dealt with dementia patients before? You can actually insert any major (or minor) medical condition in this question. In our case, we wanted to know that first and then about our elder's other medical conditions. Prior experience can ensure that there are few surprises for the caregiver.

5) Can you cook according to dietary needs? Caregivers are often required to cook for the elder involved. Most elders have dietary restrictions due to medical conditions. A caregiver that can work around these limitations is ideal. If he or she hasn't had the experience, the willingness to learn is also important.

6) How is your driving record? You may think this question is too personal. It's not. The caregiver will probably be driving your elder to the supermarket and other locations. A clean driving record is vastly preferred.

7) Are you familiar with this area? Our elder lives in a suburb that is surrounded by other suburbs. Knowing how to get from point a to point b can be confusing. Prior knowledge of the area indicates that the chances he or she will get lost are smaller.

Each individual may have other concerns when it comes to interviewing potential caregivers. The answers to these questions may encourage others. Make a list of what's important to you so that the caregiver you hire is perfect for the job.

If you are thinking about becoming an LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse), you undoubtedly want to know how much the typical LPN salary is. While the average salary stands at $46,000 a year in the USA, there are several variables which come into play which can affect the salary.

Factors Affecting LPN Salary

1. Healthcare Facility
LPNs can be found working in hospitals, clinics, nursing care centers, private homes and doctor's offices. While the job duties are similar, the salary differs depending on where one works.

Nursing Home: $42,400

Retirement Home: $31,900

Hospital: $39,950

Home healthcare services: $42,400

Doctor's offices and clinics: $36,800

2. Location
The location of where an LPN works plays an important role in affecting the salary of LPNs. Sometimes the difference in salary can be quite large, especially if you compare an LPN working in a metropolitan area to a suburban area.

High Paying States

California: $50,000

Connecticut: $52,250

New Jersey: $50,200

New Mexico: $49,720

Rhode Island: $50,100

High Paying Metropolitan Areas

Albuquerque, NM: $55,980

Oakland -Fremont-Hayward, CA: $57,100

Salinas, CA: $60,000

San Jose, CA: $57,050

San Francisco - San Mateo, CA: $55,550

3. Experience
Whatever the career, the more experience a person has, the more they will be paid - working as a licensed practical nurse is no exception. Take a look at the average LPN salary relative to experience:

Less than 1 year: $28,000 - $45,000

1 to 4 years: $30,000 - $48,000

5 to 9 years: $31,000 - $51,000

10 to 19 years: $32,000 - $ $54,000

20 years>: $35,000 - $56,000

How Career Advancement Affects LPN Salary

As mentioned, moving to a different state, acquiring more experience or working in a different healthcare facility all play a role in affecting an LPN salary. However, many LPNs decide to advance their careers, not only to earn a higher wage but also to take on more job responsibility which results in a more rewarding career. Many LPNs take their career to the next level by becoming "Change Nurses," meaning that they have the additional responsibility of supervising other LPNs working in the healthcare facility. However, this position is not available in all healthcare settings - nursing homes seem to employ the highest percentage of change nurses.

Many LPNs have taken to advancing their career by going back to school and completing an LPN to RN Bridge program. As a registered nurse is able to earn double the amount an LPN earns and has a higher level of job responsibility, it is no surprise that enrolling in this type of bridge program is a popular choice.

Now you know what the average LPN salary is relative to location, experience and setting. While the majority of people do not go into the nursing field for the money, most people would agree that money matters. If you are one of the many people who shares this opinion, it is recommended that you enrol in an LPN to RN bridge program as soon as possible to advance your career, and thus start earning a higher salary.

Caring for Elderly Parents

There comes a time in most of our lives when adult children find themselves responsible for their parent's well being. This usually happens when the parents have exhibited behavior that proves they can no longer able to take care of themselves.

Nursing Homes

For some people, the care of an elderly parent means selecting the best possible nursing home. The advantage to putting a parent in a nursing home is that they will receive round the clock professional care, and that the nursing home will have everything they could possibly need.

The disadvantage to nursing homes is that the facilities and people are unfamiliar which can sometime stress the elderly to the point that their overall health deteriorates. Also, nursing homes are very expensive and many families simply can't afford them.

In Home Care

For people who don't feel a nursing home is a viable choice, they can choose to move their elderly parent into their own home.

A great deal of preparation, both mentally and environmentally must be done before a family brings their elderly parent to live with them. Families need to prepare for is arguments. By nature people tend to resist being taken care of, and most people really don't like the idea of their children being burdened by them. This often leads to outburst and arguments that can leave everyone feeling hurt and helpless. The best thing a family can do is try to stay calm. It doesn't hurt to find tasks that the parents can do so that they can still feel like they are a help rather than a hindrance. Most people are healthier, mentally and physically, when they have something to keep their mind active.

Before moving their parent into their home, adult children need to spend some time researching their parent's condition. The more they know about what to expect as their parent's mental and/or physical state deteriorates, the better able everyone will be able to prepare for things.

Another thing adult children need to consider before moving an elderly parent into their home is how much care the parent is going to need, and whether or not the adult children will be able to provide it. If the parent needs round the clock care, the family might need to consider hiring a part-time, in-home nurse.

One of the things that many people learn after moving their elderly parent into their home, is that caring for the parent often involves a great deal more than making sure they get enough to eat. Most of the elderly have mobility problems and need to be helped out of bed and off of chairs. At first this doesn't seem like it will be a problem, but after a while it can become tiresome. Lift chairs are products that can help the entire family retain their humor and mobility. Lift chairs are a step beyond the average household recliner. The seat of the chair tips to a 45 degree angle, making it easier to stand the person on their own feet.

Lift chairs have been beneficial to people who have been diagnosed with Parkinson's, Alzheimer disease, poor circulation, arthritis, and numerous other ailments and conditions.

The healthcare industry is rapidly evolving and provides many career opportunities for people who want to enter the field of patient care. Certified Nursing Assistants are health-care employees who are responsible for providing direct care to patients who are unable to take care of themselves. Common responsibilities include monitoring vital signs, assisting patients with getting out of bed, bathing and dressing patients and providing emotional support. Someone interested in this career must undergo CNA training and pass a certification test before being allowed to provide care to patients.

A Certified Nurses Assistant (CNA) can find positions in many different medical environments. Medical offices, hospitals, therapy centers, nursing homes and assisted living facilities are just the most common places of employment. As the Baby Boomers enter into their senior years, the need for CNA's in assisted living facilities is anticipated to triple. CNA training can be completed in a very short period of time. During your CNA training you will learn everything you need to pass your state exams and to work in a professional environment. Many people who enter into the course are surprised by the amount of knowledge they already have in the field.

Many places have their own rules and it is up to you to determine whether you would like to go to a school, a nursing home, or other location to get your learning. Some schools offer CNA Certification classes and then you can move up to becoming an LPN and even an RN. Depending where you want to go the best way is to start at the bottom and move up. This will help you determine if it is the right field for you.

Most states require that you have CNA training and pass a board exam before entering the field. The exam is quite simple if you have been trained, and the monetary benefits are well worth the effort. CNA's earn a good living and many people who enter this career find that they pursue further training and become nurses. CNA programs are available through campus based education or distance learning programs. This allows anyone with an interest the capabilities of going to school on their own terms. Because many of these programs are accelerated programs, students may find themselves with a new career in less than a month.

With the current economic situation, it can be difficult to find and maintain a career. For those who enjoy taking care of others and providing loving support to those who need it, becoming a CNA is the right choice. CNA training is the first step to this wonderful and emotionally fulfilling career.

Millions of Americans are experiencing the dilemma of what to do with their parents as they age. Seniors are the fastest growing segment of our population and as they get older the question of how they spend their final days looms large.

With more and more baby boomers reaching retirement age, the stress and strain put on assisted living facilities and long term care homes is growing every day. The supply of qualified people to staff these facilities is not keeping up. One of the reasons is because the healthcare industry is in such a shortfall of people that their wages are much much higher.

What happens then is assisted living facilities are almost forced to make compromises in hiring people. Is an unqualified and under trained employee in a nursing home good enough for your parents? I don't think so.

And that's only half the problem. Not everyone can afford a home like that. Home health care givers are even less qualified. Abuse and theft are very common. Kind of a scary thought!

One out of six nursing homes or assisted living facilities report some kind of elder abuse. That can come in many forms-physical, verbal or psychological. Nursing home elder abuse is particularly widespread in nursing homes or assisted living facilities that specialize in Alzheimer's disease.

How can you best prevent this elder abuse? The best way is with a spy camera.

The newest hidden cameras have a camera and DVR hidden inside the most common objects like alarm clocks and car key fobs. Some models even have a microphone-so called "body worn" models.

They are easy to use and install. Images are recorded to an 8 GB SD card. To playback just insert that card into your computer's SD card reader and see what you found.

When you suspect abuse of your folks in a assisted care facility don't delay find out today what is really going on with a spy camera.

When are you getting one?

If you are looking for a recession-proof investment, buying a nursing home or nursing agency for sale currently makes a lot of sense. While consumers tighten their budgets in many areas, the need for independent healthcare provision isn't going to go away any time soon. Indeed, the demographics of baby boomers coming up to retirement and ever increasing life expectancy means that the potential client base for nursing homes and agencies is steadily rising. In addition, government cutbacks are reported to be already impacting on waiting times for NHS provided treatment, driving many people to look at private medical options. This in turn is creating more business for private healthcare firms, and an increase in demand for nursing staff of all kinds in the private sector - supplied, of course, by nursing agencies.

But although the top level business case for buying a nursing agency or nursing home may be solid, choosing a specific nursing agency for sale is not so simple. Every nursing agency and nursing home for sale is different in terms of its client base, its funding sources, its premises, its management and its staff. So it is important to understand the particular features of any home or agency you may be considering buying, to ensure it will be a good fit for your requirements. Here are the eight questions you must ask before buying a nursing home or nursing agency for sale.

Why is This Nursing Home or Nursing Agency for Sale?

Knowing what is motivating the vendors to place their nursing home or nursing agency for sale right now can give you a lot of clues about the current state of the business. Just as you are interested in nursing agencies or nursing homes as a business investment, so will the vendors before you. (Even owners motivated by the desire to provide excellent care will need to have made sure that the business is sustainable and can provide a living income.) Motivation to sell can be of three main types:

The business is doing well and the vendor wants to realise the increase in value.

The business is doing badly and the vendor needs to sell.

The vendor wants to retire and use the proceeds from the sale to fund their retirement.

All other things being equal, a business which is performing well will be a more attractive investment than one which is not. But it is not necessarily bad for you if a particular nursing agency or nursing home for sale isn't performing well financially. Sometimes this can represent a bargain investment, provided you fully understand why the business is struggling and have the ability and vision to turn things around. From an investment point of view, this type of sale can represent the biggest opportunity for value increase - but it will require experience and expertise to know what needs fixing. If you are a hands-off investor with no experience of nursing homes and agencies, an underperforming business should be avoided in favour of one which is already financially successful.

What Are its Income Sources?

Nursing homes and agencies in the UK can receive income from three main sources:

Direct from the NHS (e.g. an NHS hospital pays for temporary nursing cover)

Local Authority (e.g. a local authority assesses someone as requiring care in a nursing home and pays for that care directly)

Privately (e.g. an individual arranges for domiciliary care to be provided in their home, or a private health company wants to recruit nursing staff)

As a business investor you need to know the current mix of income sources and whether there is over-reliance on one type. For instance, many nursing homes flourished over the past decade or so based on local authorities' legal obligation to provide residential care. Many local authorities are now reassessing people against new criteria and withdrawing funding, as a way of cutting expenditure. Nursing homes which have not also built up a healthy private client base, with associated marketing to support it, may find their funding position looking shaky as a result.

What is its Reputation with Clients?

What do clients and their families think about the agency or home? When it comes to personal care services such as residential care or domiciliary care, families place considerable importance on the experience their relative is getting, at least as much as the technical quality of medical care or the cost of the service. Put simply, even when changes in the economic landscape may be creating funding uncertainties for nursing homes and agencies, businesses which are loved by customers will have the easiest time in attracting new clients and maintaining a healthy business.

What is its Client Base?

Apart from income sources, what type of customer does the nursing home or nursing agency cater for? This will indicate the likely size of your potential customer base (important if you have plans for growing the business) as well as funding stability. It may also affect how well the new acquisition fits into an existing portfolio. For instance, if you already own a chain of residential homes for the elderly, a home currently catering for young adults with learning disabilities may not fit the current brand as well a home specialising in dementia care. The client base will also determine the skills needed to run it successfully - so if you intend to be an owner-manager it's important to choose a nursing home for sale which matches your background and skills.

Is it Profitable, and if so Why / Why Not?

You must find out the turnover and profits of the current business, before and after tax. This is normally disclosed as a matter of course by the vendor and is usually verified prior to completion of a sale. But it is more important to find out why the business is or is not profitable, than to look just at the bottom line. For instance, a lack of profits may occur in a well run home or agency but where financial management has been weak (this might occur in an independently run home where the owner is more focused on care issues than running a sound business). Equally, a profitable business may be the result of a vendor having an eye to selling and minimising investment in care and maximising profits.

How Vendor-Dependent Is It?

How well could the business continue to run when the vendor is no longer there? Does the business have a strong management team in place who can continue to run the business in the absence of the owner? If you want to be a hands-on owner, taking over the day to day running of the business, then this factor may not matter so much. But if you want to be a hands-off investor, you will either need a team already in place, or you will need to appoint a manager on your behalf.

What Development / Expansion Potential Does it Have?

Assuming you are look at nursing agencies and nursing homes for sale as an investment opportunity, you will want to know what scope there is for adding value to the business after you have bought it. In the case of a nursing home, can the value of the premises themselves be increased through refurbishment, or is there scope to increase capacity? In the case of a nursing agency, could business be increased by bringing in new clients? Or could the range of services be expanded (e.g. a nursing agency deciding to also provide non-medical domiciliary care)?

Is it Independent or Franchise?

Some nursing agencies and homes are fully independent, while others operate as part of a franchise. Buying a franchise will be less expensive, and may appeal to those with appropriate nursing background and skills but with less cash to invest - but the scope for adding value or increasing personal income will be strictly limited. Buying an independent business will cost more - often including the price of the premises - but you will own everything and will have a far greater degree of control over how the business is run. Perhaps more importantly from an investment point of view, you will benefit from any increase in income and value you are able to generate.

Using a Business Broker to Assess Businesses for Sale

Finding out this level of detail about a nursing home or nursing agency for sale can be difficult, and may not be completely revealed until negotiations are well advanced. It is therefore useful to use the services of a business broker who is better placed to know these details or to find them out on your behalf. A broker who is representing a nursing agency or nursing home for sale (i.e. the home or agency has asked the broker to find a buyer) should have determined this type of information already in order to understand the business and find a suitable buyer.

But where information is not yet known, it is often far easier to make enquiries via a broker than to ask a vendor directly. Being able to ask these questions and to trust the information that comes back can help prevent time being wasted on unsuitable businesses. More importantly, it should prevent you from completing a deal only to find out later the true position of the business.

Becoming a registered nurse (RN) opens many doors. The reasons for seeking the education and license are as varied as the dedicated individuals who serve in the nursing field. Some RNs know from the beginning that their happiness lies in self-direction; great hourly pay will never be enough incentive to hold these nurses in a job where someone else makes the decisions. Others decide to become an entrepreneur nurse later in their careers. Either way, combining business acumen with a nursing degree is a profitable mix.

Areas of Need

There are jobs for independent contractors that would, make sense, to the layperson. Some of the more traditional opportunities are:

-Home care nurse.

-Independent contractor.

-Staffing agency nurse.

Home Care Nurse

A home care nurse cares for patients who need professional medical attention, but not to the level of nursing home care. Emergencies are few; nurses follow a schedule for patient care. Visits consist of monitoring the specific conditions of each client, checking vital signs, and observing well-being in general. Nurses advise patients and doctors regarding the case.

Independent Contractor

Nurses do the work of an employee, but as a contractor. The set-up provides some advantages. Employers do not pay social security tax for these nurses; however, they get the same work from contractors and employees. The social security tax of employed nurses costs the employer seven and a half percent of the gross wage; employees pay the same amount, for a total of 15 percent. Self-employed contractors pay the entire 15 percent. The amount of money this represents is lower because the independent nurse has a lot more tax advantages than does an employee. Employers also pay unemployment insurance for employees, but not for contractors.

Staffing Agency Nurses

The nurse is employed by an agency, and can work in a variety of settings. This is an advantage for professionals who enjoy getting to know new people and places. One benefit of belonging to a staffing agency, is that the agency helps nurses keep up with licensing requirements.

The Entrepreneurial Spirit

Part of being an entrepreneur means recognizing a need, and finding a profitable way to fill it. Only people working in the medical arts have the necessary vantage point to spot these opportunities. Some non-traditional roles are:

-Author.

-Specialty nurse agency owner.

-Online Instructor.

Author

Nurses know what others want to read about. A hospice nurse is an expert in the field, a book about the specialty would benefit someone about to start work in the area. Experienced independent contractors have already lived through paying their own taxes; writing a book advising others may be a profitable venture.

Specialty Nurse Agency Owner

An entrepreneur nurse who specializes in a challenging area is the perfect owner of an agency offering to serve in the field. She hires, or contracts nurses. As the owner of the agency, the entrepreneur spends more time running the business than tending to the needs of patients.

Online Instructor

Nurses need continuing education. A highly educated nurse, who no longer wants to report to a job in person, may be qualified to work as an online instructor. Home-based instructors are normally contractors, not employees.

Working as an entrepreneur means more freedom; responsibility comes with it. It is an advantage to have a business plan before starting to work independently. A consultation with an accountant is a smart idea. Decide if your situation is best defined as a corporation, sole proprietor, or partnership. You already know what your particular business needs in the way of equipment and computers; knowing what to expect at tax time helps you avoid financial catastrophe.

Copyright (c) 2012 Nurse Entrepreneur Network

Placing a loved one in an assisted living or senior care environment can be quite stressful. If you properly prepare with the right nursing home questions in mind, chances are you will find it easier - and most importantly less stressful - to choose the option that best fits you or your loved one's needs.

Listed below are 10 examples of useful nursing home questions to make your decision easier:

1. How safe is the location where the care facility is situated? Is it in a good neighborhood with low crime, or are the police forced to step up patrols in the area? Have the police been dispatched to the nursing home itself?

2. What is the ratio of nursing home staff to residents? Do residents appear to relate to staffers in a positive way, or do smiles disappear when a certain orderly or nurse enters a room?

3. What procedures are in place to ensure proper dispensing of medicines? Are there examples of poor response in medical emergencies?

4. What is the atmosphere that exists among residents? Is it friendly and outgoing, or are there social groups that exclude certain residents?

5. How many complaints against staff or the firm itself have been filed by residents or family members? What was done to resolve such complaints?

6. How many accidents or injuries have occurred on facility property?

7. What social activities are offered by the facility? Are there volunteer youth groups that are called in to interact with residents?

8. How well-groomed are the residents? Have they been allowed to ignore their appearance, or does the staff encourage and facilitate a high level of cleanliness?

9. Does the facility itself appear to be well taken care of? Is it in a state of disrepair? Are air conditioners and heaters functioning properly? How clean are the bathrooms and floors?

10. What representations does the nursing home facility make regarding its obligations to residents? What guarantees do they make? What are they responsible for, and what am I responsible for?

Clearly there are many questions you will have as you begin the process of determining the right nursing home for your loved one. These ten useful nursing home questions will start you off in the right direction.

Knowing what to ask - and just as importantly, who to ask - is essential to ensuring the best possible care for your loved one.

As your parents get older, they may decide that keeping the large house is too much work and they may desire a change of lifestyle. They may sell their house and then they decide to give some of the net proceeds to their children. As time goes on, if their health declines, they may need nursing home care. Can the gift that mom and dad made be spent or must it be held for a certain number of years? How does this gift impact mom and dad qualifying for Medicaid in the event that they need nursing home care?

The gift that you received from mom and dad can be used by you in any manner that you wish. However, if your parents enter a nursing home, they could be left in a bind. This is due to the Deficit Reduction Act, which was enacted last February, which tightened the rules for qualifying for Medicaid help with their long-term care after making gifts to family members.

The basic rules for applying for Medicaid to assist in the payment of the bills for long term care are that an individual must typically use up all but $2,000 of their cash and investments. One way to accomplish this is for the parents to make gifts to someone else, usually to their children. There were limitations on this practice in the past, which included a three-year "look-back" period, in which any gifts made within three years of the date that the individual tries to qualify for Medicaid assistance may be used to determine if they have met the threshold. Under the past laws, a government regulator could examine gifts made in the past three years and assess a penalty. (If a parent spends down the amount for their regular living or medical expenses, the rules set forth in this article do not apply).

Under the new rules, this "look-back" period has been extended to five years. The regulators now can examine any gifts made within that five-year period and then determine if a penalty should be assessed.

What kind of penalty can be assessed? The penalty is a number of months that Medicaid will not pay for the long-term care that is necessary, such as nursing home care. If a gift was made of $18,000 about a year prior to the date of application for Medicaid and assuming that nursing home care is about $6,000 per month, the penalty period would be a three-month window in which Medicaid would not cover the nursing home care. Under the old rules, the penalty began from the date that the gift was made. Under the new rules, however, the penalty begins on the date of application for Medicaid assistance. This application date may be at a time when your parents are already in a nursing home and your parents do not have the funds to pay for the nursing home care.

One way to handle the penalty period is to have the recipients of the gifts pay for the nursing home care for the penalty period. While no one can force the kids to return the money by paying the amount of the nursing home care, this may be the only way under current law to have a parent cared for in a nursing home setting. Alternatively, while waiting out the penalty period, the kids may have to care for mom and dad in their own home. If your parents had thought ahead, they may have purchased long term care insurance, which may help in offsetting the heavy cost of nursing home care.

In making later life decisions, it is always good to plan far ahead. Now, you just need to plan even further ahead in making the decisions that will be right for you and your family.

This article is about people who do not need to medically wear diapers. This is NOT about anyone who medically needs to wear diapers. Anyone who is incontinent and needs to wear diapers should wear diapers. But those adults who have been taught to be lazy and pee and poop in their diapers just because it is easier for nurses and doctors to handle that ---these are the patients that this article is addressed to. (See disclaimer at the end of this article).

All over the world, at this very moment, there are nurses, staff and attendants who are trying to convince fully healthy, continent individuals to wear diapers when they do not medically need to wear diapers. All over this is happening. And this is making the patient more and more unhealthy.

Here is why it is important that your family member or you do not wear diapers inside a nursing home or inside a physical rehabilitation and care center:

• Once you begin wearing diapers, you will become in the habit of just pooping and peeing whenever you want to simply because you have a diaper on and because your clothing will not get wet or soiled. The diaper will protect your clothing. You are told to go in your diaper because that is what they are for. So, you begin to get accustomed to pooping whenever you feel like it. Wow. Think about it. You do not even have to get out of bed. No more nighttime trips. You just poop and pee whenever you want to do so. But what is happening to your body while you do this? Here is what happens. Eventually, you will lose control of those muscles that you are not using and you will make yourself incontinent. Yes, you, yourself, with the help of nurses and staff who are being paid good money, are helping you lose your muscles. Soon you will not be able to control your muscles and then you will indeed be incontinent. If you do not use those muscles to hold it in, you will lose the power those muscles still have. So you are actually making yourself sick. You are making yourself to have signs of being an invalid, when you came into the place a healthier person who was fully able to urinate and defecate in a toilet bowl. But for the convenience of staff, imagine that, for the convenience of staff, you become more ill and more dependent on the staff in a nursing home or in a hospital.

• Now, if you are in such a mind that you think this is okay, think again. You are in the nursing home or in the rehab and care center --only temporarily. Yes, you are there temporarily, and after you leave there you will go home to your family. What happens when you get home? You will be there and you will be dependent on your family and also on temporary home care -to change your diapers. What if your family does not agree to changing diapers on you ---because you put yourself in diapers when it was not necessary? What happens if your family tells you that they will not change your diapers because you put yourself in that condition? (Of course this will be settled long before you leave the nursing home or rehab center). But I am trying to give you some ideas, some brainstorming of what your future might look like. Your future looks different if you are in or out of diapers, very different.

• Once you are at home now, and you are still in diapers, you will be sitting in soaked diapers for long times, just like in the nursing home. Since you are in diapers no one has to change you immediately. Get the picture? You wait. And yes, you wait. You might be under the impression that you will soil a diaper and wet a diaper and then someone will come immediately to change you --but you are mistaken. Once your family knows that you did this to yourself, once they know that you could have avoided being incontinent, do you think that they are going to drop everything they do and run to change your diaper? Do you think that you will have your diaper changed any quicker than the nurses will do it? Perhaps it will take longer, since there are many nurses and great number of staff but perhaps only one or two family members. Yes, you will wait. And you will wait in a soiled diaper or wet diaper, just the same way that you waited in the hospital . No one says that the minute you pee or poop that someone must or someone will immediately come running to change your diaper. Your family member might be in the tub or they might be out to work or to school or to a volunteer job, and if that is the case --that they are out, you will wait for them to return. And upon their return, they will have to catch their breath, sit a few minutes and then when they are able to change your diaper , then they will change it.



• So, you sit there smugly thinking that your home care attendant will change you promptly because that is what she is being paid for? Take the smug grin off your face and welcome yourself to reality and to the real world. When you have a home care attendant, you will have that person in your home only for short periods of time. You will not have someone there 24/7 . They work their own hours. So if they are there they can change your diaper. But what if you have a home-care attendant who hates her or his job? What if they are not happy people? What if they are not good workers? If this is the case, you can wait, yes , hours and hours to have your diaper changed, if at all. Your family member might say, that the attendant will be here soon to change the diaper and you might wait and then they might call in sick or not show up at all. And, there you sit in a messy, uncomfortable diaper until someone can change you. Remember, now, you put yourself in this position by volunteering to go in diapers when you did not need diapers. When I say volunteer, I mean that you did not insist that you be taken to the restroom but happily let the attendants put diapers on you when you were not medically incontinnet. You did this to yourself with the help of highly-paid staff at nursing homes and at physical rehabilitation and care centers.

• What about depression? If you are a patient who has ever been depressed in your lifetime, once you submit to wearing unnecessary diapers, your depression will come back to you and worsen. You are making yourself more unhealthy by submitting to unnecessary diapers. Depression is banished most times, by action. And when you sit all day in a diaper, to even a normal human being who has no depression that is depressing. There is no one that can honestly tell you that sitting in soiled diapers , soaked diapers, diapers with diareahh is not depressing. So by making yourself more physically unhealthy, you are also making yourself more emotionally unhealthy. Depression comes and comes back and worsens when a person is wearing diapers if they do not need to medically wear diapers.

Wearing diapers is a comfort ONLY to those who NEED to medically wear the diapers. They are not a comfort to continent people. Do not let any staff convince you otherwise. Do not let any staff scare you with the threat of falls or scare you with the threat of "accidents". Insist on your rights if you are not medically incontinent.

The bottom line is that once you PUT yourself in diapers when you are not medically incontinent, you are putting yourself in a world that you have never known and you are making more problems for yourself and even making more medical problems for yourself. How? Well, as you sit in dirty and soaked diapers, you might begin to develop rashes, or problems or sores, especially if you are diabetic or especially if you have a skin problem to begin with. Everyone knows that diapers bring rashes sometimes. And most likely you will have your share of diaper rashes in your lifetime when you choose to be in diapers.

Now all these things are only possibilities, that is all, but they are possibilities that you have not thought of, correct? But they are all possibilities, depending on the staff, home attendants and the families, and depending on their attentiveness and their availability. What I am trying to say to you is that your life will be so much easier for you if you just grow up and keep yourself out of diapers when you are medically able to not wear diapers.

When you put yourself in diapers and you do not medically need to be in diapers, you are killing a part of yourself, you are humiliating yourself for no good reason. If you are a person that is not incontinent, and if you are a person that does not medically need to wear diapers, then you should make the decision yourself and demand to be out of diapers immediately. If you do not medically need to wear diapers, there is no reason for you to wear diapers.

What about the doctors and nurses in diapers? Here is what about them. Think about this:

When a surgeon or nurse needs hospitalization, or when a lawyer or judge or someone of high importance needs hospitalization or a nursing home or rehab stay, do you think that these dignified people would allow anyone to put them in diapers for the convenience of the staff? Probably not. No lawyer, judge, or doctor or surgeon or nurse would permit themselves to poop and pee in a diaper for the mere convenience of the staff of a facility.

They would protest. They would demand that the staff do their job and they would insist that no one put a diaper on them. So that is why you will not see lawyers in diapers any more than you would see doctors, surgeons or nurses in diapers. Why? This is why:

• It is not medically necessary --in their cases.


• It is an embarrassment even though staff insists it is not embarrassing. Sure, it is not embarrassing to them because it is not their bare but that is being wiped of poop. It is only embarrassing to the patient that is all. And staff spends time to reassure the patient that this is not embarrassing. Lie!


• Lawyers, doctors and nurses have more recourse to argue the point and the staff knows that they had better not go against a surgeons words if that surgeon is insisting on NOT wearing diapers.


• The nurses know that it will come out to the public, if not to the news stations when a surgeon is put in diapers unnecessarily because that surgoen will do everythying in his power to stay out of diapers.
  
  


• That is why you do not see surgeons, doctors, lawyers or nurses in diapers. You will only see those patients who have been hoodwinked into thinking that they need diapers just in case or so they do not fall. It is all a lie. No healthy , continant patient needs diapers, EVER!

What about falls?

This is a big argument that staff has. Staff will insist that you have a diaper so you do not fall. Everyone knows that falls are dangerous. The fall is not the result of wearing a diaper or not wearing a diaper. You will not fall more if you do not wear diapers. You will only fall if you insist on net getting help to and from the bathroom. You will only fall if the staff is negligent and not paying attention and not coming when the bell rings. You will only fall if the staff ignores you.

So there you go, you have the fall situation solved. Your staff where you are should be attentive and should come when you call them. There is no excuse for negligence in any nursing home or rehab facilitiy. Do not worry about falling if you follow instructions.

To Avoid Falls do This:

Always ring the bell and do not get out of bed unatttended.

Always ask for help and get help.

This solves the fall problem.

And here is the biggy. If you are in a place where the staff is negligent and is not attending to you, you have many legal recourses and many organizations that will help you solve these problems. But the solution is not to wear a diaper for the convenience of the staff.

And yes, at this moment as I type and as you read this, hundreds if not thousands of patients are being forced into diapers just for the convenience of the staff. I wish Geraldo Rivera would do some kind of investigation into this diaper mess because it is a really big diaper mess. What are your thoughts?

I created this article on May 25, 2008. DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor, nurse or any other type of medical practitioner. If you need medical advice or professional advice you should call your own doctor, lawyer or other professional for that advice. This article is for basic social information and for basic behind-the-scenes information that the public should be aware of. Do not do anything that is not safe for you to do and before making any medical or professional changes,consult your doctors, lawyers or professionals. Never ask your attending nurse/ or attendant if you should be in diapers because most will tell you yes, and most times they are saying that for their own convenience. Consult your medical doctors, lawyers and other professionals.

Finding good employment for felons is one of the most difficult problems that ex-convicts encounter. Since the economic downturn has left many unemployed, finding high-paying or even steady employment for felons has become very tough. One of the best ways to get a recession-proof job is to choose a career in a growing industry such as health care. Nursing, in particular, is a career that offers many advantages for ex-felons.

Felon Job Opportunities: Nursing

Nursing as a profession is now very much in demand. The U.S. has such a serious shortage of nurses that foreign nurses are being recruited in mass to fill the gap. From now until 2014, registered nurses are expected to create the second largest number of new jobs in the U.S. among all occupations, according to the Department of Labor.

In addition, the pay is good and there are numerous job opportunities for felons since nurses can work in many different places. These include hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, residential homes, occupational health services, prisons, schools, leisure cruise ships, etc. Nurses can also work for the U.S. armed forces and voluntary non-profit organizations.

As a career choice for ex-felons, the medical field is one of the most prestigious and has the best potential for job security since there is a severe imbalance between demand and availability of qualified personnel. Not only are there plentiful job opportunities for felons who are qualified nurses, career advancement is also expected to be rapid due to the shortage of experienced nurses.

Felon Friendly Jobs: How to Become a Nurse

Nurses focus on the individual's needs and provide care, counseling and advice. This career is for people who have the qualities of compassion and patience as well as skills in critical thinking and problem-solving.

All paths to a nursing career must begin with a high school diploma or a GED.

The next step is to take either a diploma or degree course in nursing so that you will gain the proper clinical knowledge needed. You can finish an associate degree course in nursing in two years while a bachelor's degree in nursing takes four years to complete.

Then you will have to pass the state board exam for nursing to get your license. At this point you can get a job as a nurse.

Even after you get your nursing license, you can still choose to continue your education and specialize. Examples of nursing specialties are nurse anesthesiologists, nurse practitioners, legal nurse investigators, critical care nurses, etc.

Employment for Felons: Nursing License

Of course, if you know anything about nursing the first question in your mind right now is whether or not you are eligible for a nursing license if you have a felony conviction.

You will have to check your state's laws about nursing licenses. Call your nursing board, explain your situation including the details about your felony and ask what you will need to do to get a license or to sit for the nursing exam.

All states will have stringent screening procedures in place for all registered nurses but most likely, having a felony does not automatically bar you from the profession.

The California Board of Registered Nursing, for example, evaluates each application they receive on a case by case basis and that there is no specific type of felony conviction that will disqualify an applicant automatically. If you have a felony and there is some question regarding your eligibility for a nursing license, you will have to submit some proofs of rehabilitation. Your case will then be judged depending on the nature, severity and how recent you were charged as well as rehabilitation and other extenuating factors.

In other words, you will have to jump through more hoops than a regular applicant but if you can show that you have been rehabilitated then you can still work as a registered nurse, especially if it has been many years since the felony.

Nursing Job for Felons: Summary

Nursing jobs for felons are a good choice for people who desire a secure, high-paying job with lots of potential for career advancement. You will also get to help others who are in need of care. Nursing jobs for felons are for people who have compassion for the sick and problem-solving skills. A nursing diploma or bachelor's degree is needed to apply for nursing. You will also have to pass the state board exam to get a nursing license. Job opportunities for felons with a nursing license are not limited to hospitals. You can get employment for felons who are registered nurses in places like clinics, cruise ships, nursing homes, schools, etc.

Moving to a nursing home is a major change especially when medical monitoring takes away independence, even if it is for the person's own well being. Dealing with serious health changes is more difficult when it feels like an exile from an individual's former way of life. While residents are taken care of medically, their mental health is usually ignored. As a mental health consultant in a nursing home, I listened to many voices who would not dare speak of their emotional pain to others. Here are some of their comments.

o People question my sincerity regarding my pain. They don't seem to understand that I am having trouble explaining it clearly to them.

o We are labeled with a disease.

o I feel stupid (about my failing health). Who can you blame but yourself when things don't go as planned?

o It's tough being in a wheel chair. I hope people understand that I can't keep up. I am embarrassed.

o It bothers me to not be able to write. I can't even sign my name. I have to be more resourceful. I used to be organized by writing everything down. Now I have to keep it all in my head.

o My kids don't get it. They get impatient. They forget I am here and don't even talk to me. They talk around me.

o When I try to express my feelings others respond with silly comments. While they are trying to empathize, I wish they wouldn't say these things. I think I should just watch what I say.

o I would like to be active with whatever abilities I have left. I really want to give.

o Getting people to hear you is the hardest thing to do. It's hard to speak up when you're feeling infringed upon.

o I am more than my adaptive equipment.

o People worry I am watching too much television but it is the only thing I have.

o The kids take over. You are the child again.

o Just because you are older doesn't mean you lose your identity.

o They filled out all the papers regarding my living situation. No one asked me how I felt about it.

o Where are my belongings? My house was sold behind my back.

o Others buy clothes for me. I don't even like the styles they choose. I used to have my own credit card. Now I am asking my children for money for hair appointments and simple spending.

o There's tension with my family around the holidays.

Nursing home residents speak of a loss of control when their lives seem to change drastically. These may be the final years of their lives, but they can certainly be spent with meaning. Residents want to be helpful to society still. They have great stories to tell of past achievements. The way they used to identify themselves is not how they are identified now. They are elderly, diseased, and needy and who they have been for the past several decades is now forgotten and irrelevant.

Families can help residents still feel relevant. Your loved one is a stranger to the nursing home staff until they become better acquainted with their new guests. As a family member, you can help this process become more successful.

The phrase old folks home is another name for nursing facilities that are made available for the aged and the elderly. There are various names associated with this facility and some of the common names are: retirement homes, elderly care homes and also homes for old folks.

In the past such homes were looked upon with disdain as these homes were not handled properly because they were understaffed and were neglected for quite some time. This is not the case now as a lot of people are now falling back to these homes thereby creating a lot of popularity for the homes all because in our world today the retirement homes are being well cared for by the government and also private individuals.

The old folks home that we have today has become a palace of sorts. This is because the inhabitants of the home receive pampering from the nurses like it was never done in the past. In the homes today there are varieties of social amenities that are made available to the residents. So many of the retirement homes that we have today is designed and built to fit the taste of the elderly. The construction of our elderly homes is built with the needs of our aged parents or family members in mind. Some of the options available include:

1. Full ownership of their own condos.

2. Life leases for those who don't want full ownership.

3. Rent-age of condos, houses or units depending on the taste of the elderly person or the taste of the family.

4. There might also be options of spas, swimming pools, indoor golf games and even exercise classes for the fit conscious elderly folks.

5. There are also caring hands on board to render help if the need arises.

Contrary to the popular belief that nursing is a thing of the past, it has been said that, a great way to care for your aged family members is to put them in nursing homes ( old folks home ). This is because there are caring hands on ground to care for them. They are not only caring they are also professionals and certified individuals who will do a better job of caring for your old folks in more ways than you can.

There are a lot of people looking for nursing home just like us. If you notice, the nursing home business is widely in boom because of the demand. This is fueled by our busy way of life and we cannot stop the aging process of the population. We cannot prevent or stop from getting older, even doubling the size of our population so this gave way for the rise in demand for these nursing homes.

With the number of these homes rising, we need to choose carefully for the services they are offering. The quality is very important because we are putting our family members here and also we do not want our hard earned money put into jeopardy.

We need to consider the different criteria in finding the best care home for our family. These are the factors that we need to check:

1. A nursing home should have a permit to operate or a license. When they are operating legally it means that they have met all the requirements and passed the standard that the government has imposed. Their legality in operating is not an assurance of quality, you need to further know the management aspect of the homes;

2. A nursing home should have good management. Consider the personnel who will take good care of our elderly. Though a lot of movies gave the scenarios of abusive caregivers it does not follow that this is not happening in some of our home care that is why we need to be very careful in choosing one. They should have enough reliable personnel to handle their patients.

3. A nursing home should be comfortable. After scrutinizing their staff it is time to consider their premises or facilities. Check their beds, bathrooms, air-conditioning and insulation of their building. Do not rely on the home care advertisement. You need to do the hands-on inspection as well.

4. Check whether the nursing homes are secure and safe. Of course all home cares are safe but check if they are elderly safe. If the family member that we are going to enroll is in a wheel chair, we need to check if they have enough ramps in the area for his mobility. Consider also if they are strict in implementing precautionary measures to prevent accidents.

5. Nursing homes should cater good food. Usually our elderly is very picky in eating, in this stage a lot of them are very hard to feed. Food presentation is important as well its palatability. We need to make sure that their food handlers are following the different guidelines in food safety.

6. A nursing home should give good medical services. If anything happens to our elderly, they have access to immediate medical services.

We are not very critical in choosing a care home. Always think they are our partners in giving our elderly love ones a better place where they can spend the remainder of their lives comfortable and enjoyable.

To place an elderly family member in a nursing home or assisted care facility is not an easy decision. A large part of the decision process comes down to the amount of care the individual will require. The person's physical condition, ailments and level of fragility will dictate whether they will require round-the-clock attention, day care, regular rehabilitation or periodic check-ins by health care personnel. Transportation for things such as doctor visits and grocery shopping must also be taken into account.

Another large part of the equation is the expense. Medicare and Medicaid will help pay for some of the costs of assisted care and full-time care facilities. But certain conditions must be met - such as using Medicare-certified facilities and services - to qualify for these benefits.

Many elderly adults end up spending their personal savings in order to live in a nursing home or assisted care facility. Eventually they may become eligible for Medicare benefits, but by that time their savings have been significantly depleted. And if a qualified senior chooses a facility that is not Medicare-certified, the expenses can be prohibitive, especially on a fixed income. Even part-time home care costs can add up and become a financial burden over time.

Living at Home

Elderly adult or not, there's no place like home. But this is especially true for seniors. Living in the familiar surroundings of their own home or apartment helps seniors feel they are still in charge of their own lives.

This is where senior medical alert systems come into the picture. If an elderly individual is still able to function on their own to an acceptable degree, a reliable medical response system backed by a reputable company can be invaluable.

Most elderly home alarm systems have two-way communication capabilities. When the button is pushed on a medical alert bracelet or pendant, a responder at a monitoring center will immediately be alerted that there is a problem and will go into action. The responder will then attempt to speak to the occupant of the home, proceeding to send police and an EMS response team to the site if contact is not established.

As we age, we sometimes have a tendency to forget things. Medical alert companies have come up with ways to remind seniors to take their medications during certain times of the day. Additionally, there are mechanized dispensers available that help prevent seniors from skipping or double-dosing on medications.

Fall sensors and motion detectors are also very important devices in providing a secure and well-monitored environment for elderly individuals in their homes. These devices greatly diminish the chance that an elderly friend or loved one will have some kind of difficulty where they are unable to reach their alert button. These sensors and detectors provide an added level of security.

Living at home can perpetuate independence and foster self-esteem. If an elderly person is capable of living on their own, then home medical monitoring systems can ensure that their quality of life remains at a good level.